BASF Wins ICRI Project of the Year Award

ICRI (International Concrete Repair Institute) today announced that BASF’s Building Systems business, together with ConTech Restoration, was honored with the prestigious ICRI 2011 Project of the Year Award for their work on the Royal Floridian Condominium Restoration in Ormond Beach, Fla.

BASF also was honored with an Award of Excellence in the Transportation category for the Conde McCullough Bridge Repair – South End in Coos Bay, Ore., as well as an Award of Merit in the Special Projects category for the Mill Cove Transmission Line Towers Piling Repairs in Jacksonville, Fla.

ICRI conducts an awards program each year to honor and recognize outstanding projects in the concrete repair industry. Projects are judged based on the uniqueness, use of state of the art methods, the use of materials, functionality, value engineering and aesthetics. Entries are received from around the world, and the winning projects are honored each year at the annual ICRI Awards Dinner and Reception at each ICRI Fall Convention. This year’s Awards Dinner took place Oct.13 in Cincinnati.

House Repeals 3% Withholding Law

By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press

In a rare show of unity in a bitterly partisan year, the House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to repeal a law requiring federal, state and local governments to withhold 3 percent of what contractors are owed until they pay their taxes.

Federal investigators have found tens of thousands of contractors who owe billions of dollars to the U.S. government. The 5-year-old statute was designed to force scofflaws who perform government work to pay up.

That drive to crack down on tax cheats now ranks well behind a stronger political imperative—lawmakers' desire to show voters they are trying to preserve jobs. The withholding requirement doesn't take effect until January 2013, meaning that scrapping it won't produce any new jobs. But members of both parties said repealing the law would remove impediments to future job creation.

"Now is the time to eliminate barriers that are standing in the way of jobs for American workers," said Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif., a sponsor of the repeal legislation.

Lawmakers approved the legislation 405-16. It still needs Senate approval.

House Democrats voiced support for the legislation but faulted Republicans for blocking other efforts to bolster the economy from President Barack Obama. He's proposed a $447 billion jobs bill that has made little progress in Congress.

"When the president brings up proposals to create jobs, they're thwarted by the majority here and Republicans in the Senate," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich.

Obama supports scrapping the withholding law.

The government would lose an estimated $11 billion by repealing the law. But accompanying language approved by the House would make up for that loss by making it harder for hundreds of thousands of lower- and middle-income people to qualify for Medicaid under Obama's health care overhaul law.

It was approved 262-157 with solid support from Republicans who said the health care law was too generous in providing Medicaid assistance to too many people. Most Democrats opposed the Medicaid cut, saying those being denied the assistance needed it.

New OSHA Chair of Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) appointed Erich J. (Pete) Stafford as the new chair of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). Stafford, who is a current member of the committee, replaces Frank L. Migliaccio Jr. as committee chair.

Stafford has nearly 30 years of experience in occupational safety and health in the construction industry. He presently serves as safety and health director for the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department, which services 13 national and international construction unions representing more than 2 million workers. Stafford also serves as executive director of the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), where he directs a research and training organization that trains more than 100,000 construction workers annually and produces research reports on construction safety and health issues.

Gerald Ryan will fill Migliaccio’s vacant seat as one of the committee’s five employee representatives. Ryan is director of training, health and safety for the Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association of the United States & Canada (OPCMIA).

MCAA Members Honored

Two MCAA members were recently elected to national offices in the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), a 1 million-member fraternal organization.

Earl Wilford (shown right) from Tuscon, Ariz., was elected to the second-highest office in the Order, while Richard Harris from Charleston, W.V., was elected to the fourth-highest office. Wilford and Harris were elected and installed in their respective offices at the 145th Grand Lodge session in Phoenix and will hold their titles until July 2012, when they will relinquish them to their successors in Austin, Texas.

The resumes of the two gentlemen bear a striking similarity. Both are retired members of the BAC; both are or have been members of MCAA; both are retired contractors, and both are now in real estate and real estate management – Harris in Charleston, and Wilford in Tuscon. Wilford and Harris have served as CEO of their respective lodges, president of their respective state associations, and on many committees at all levels.

Harris has served as West Virginia representative on the MCAA Board since 1975, and chaired the Insurance Committee in the late-1970s. He and his family have been active in the construction market in Charleston since 1907, more than 100 years of continuous involvement. His grandfather arrived in Charleston by train, began working as a mason contractor, and built one of the oldest remaining office towers in downtown in 1911. He also built the office building just across the street. Harris’ father, Evan L. Harris Jr., was one of the 13 founding members of MCAA and attended the first organizational meeting, held on Macinac Island, Mich.

Modified Guidance on AWP Fall Protection

OSHA has rescinded its January 2009 letter of interpretation #20070823-7896 on the use of shock-absorbing lanyards in aerial work platforms (AWPs). The 2009 letter of interpretation had created uncertainty in the industry by suggesting that a manufacturer’s requirement for a minimum anchorage point elevation of 18.5 feet would prevent the use of a fall protection system (six-foot lanyard with shock absorber, full-body harness) in an aerial lift. This question was put previously to OSHA, due to concerns that at times the distance between the platform and the ground would be less than 18.5 feet.

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) continues to stand behind its 2007 technical guidance H1, which provides clear and simple recommendations for personal fall protection (PFP) in AWPs. Technical guidance H1 is available in the “Publications” section of www.ipaf.org.

Belgard Hardscapes Partners with The Green Schoolhouse Series

Belgard Hardscapes is supplying Eco Dublin interlocking permeable pavers, solar paver lights and Castleguard edge restraints to The Green Schoolhouse Series, whereby schoolhouses are gifted to disadvantaged public schools. Belgard Hardscapes will provide its products for a LEED Platinum-designed green schoolhouse slated for construction in Phoenix, later this year. The inaugural multipurpose, safari-themed schoolhouse, which will be built at Roadrunner Elementary School, will replace uninspired, outdated portable classrooms.

The project at Roadrunner is the first that The Green Schoolhouse Series will build, along with school districts, corporations and volunteers across America. For more information, visit www.greenschoolhouse.org.

Boral Hires Guetzow, Commercial Sales Leader

Boral USA has hired Gene Guetzow as commercial sales leader for Boral Stone Products. Guetzow brings 25 years of masonry marketing expertise to his new role, based out of Milwaukee. He will focus on bringing Cast-Fit Cultured Stone Veneer to the U.S. architectural market.

“The commercial sales leader position was created in response to our growing number of product offerings focused on architectural detail and design, said Dennis Merino, VP of sales with Boral Stone Products. “Given Gene’s experience in architectural sales and vast knowledge of masonry products, we have complete confidence in his abilities to successfully execute the sales strategy in the U.S. architecture market.”

Guetzow's extensive background in architectural sales and promotion has encompassed senior positions as regional sales manager at Arriscraft International, and president at Building Stone Products. During his tenure at Building Stone Products, the company grew commercial architectural sales/specifications from $50,000 to $2.2 million. Most recently, Guetzow served as U.S. sales/marketing manager at CalStar Products.

With a comprehensive knowledge of masonry products and installation requirements, Guetzow has presented more than 800 AIA accredited Lunch and Learn programs for architects since 1997. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and a professional affiliate of the Building Industry Association, Construction Specifications Institute, American Institute of Architects, and Association of Licensed Architects, as well as a US Green Building Council-LEED AP and BIA-certified Green Brick Specialist.

Michigan Mason Contractors’ Association BoD Elections

The Michigan Mason Contractors’ Association (MMCA) held its annual meeting, Board of Directors election, and fall outing at Bucks Run Golf Club in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. John Connolly, Connolly Masonry of Clarkston; Ed Davenport, Davenport Masonry of Holt; and Jim “Rock” Weinrauch, National Block and Ready Mix of Westland, were reelected to two-year terms on the Board of Directors.

During the Board of Directors organizational meeting that followed the event, the following officers were reelected: Jim “Rock” Weinrauch, chairman; John Connolly, vice chairman; and Bill Barker, St. Mary’s Cement of Detroit, secretary/treasurer. Other board members are Kathy Brzys, Essroc Cement of Essexville; Jerry Snyder, Best Block of Ann Arbor; and Kevin Ryan, Masonry Developers of Rochester.

Masonry Skills Challenge

The MMCA, along with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) Local 9 Michigan, hosted the Region C Masonry Skills Challenge on behalf of the MCAA at the BAC Local 9 Training Center in Lansing.

Twenty first-, second- and third-year apprentices from Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia were invited to compete for the opportunity to participate in the international competition during the MCAA 2012 Convention at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas. First-year apprentice Justin Proch of Michigan, second-year apprentice Jeremy Casey and third-year apprentice, Darren Tobolt, both of Ohio, won their class competitions.